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Free meals for K-12 students proposed in Congress
As the start of the next school year approaches, schools in New Mexico are preparing to hand out free meals to all students after the Legislature unanimously passed a bill that would ensure all students have access to food in school, joining four other states in making universal meals a permanent policy. About three-quarters of […]
‘Perfect storm’ coming for food insecurity in New Mexico
When the federal government ended the pandemic expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program this month, Gladys Recinos went from being able to buy food for her family for the entire month to barely making it to 17 days. More realistically, she can cover about 15 days worth of food with her food aid It’s […]
Public school students in New Mexico will soon receive free meals
The smell of chicken nuggets and carrots filled the cafeteria at Piñon Elementary in Santa Fe on Monday as cafeteria workers and lawmakers doled out sauces and green apples for the fourth graders eating lunch. Starting next school year, no K-12 student in New Mexico will have to pay for their meals as Gov. Michelle […]
Affirmative consent proposal dies on final day in Santa Fe
On the penultimate day of the Legislative session, HB 43, which would’ve made affirmative consent the standard for teaching consent in public schools, sat as the final item on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s agenda. The bill sailed through its previous committees and garnered a commanding House floor vote only to languish in the judiciary committee […]
Affirmative Consent bill stalled in Senate Committee
More than 30 students – mostly from Capital High School in Santa Fe – flooded the mailboxes of the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of an action with Girls Inc. of Santa Fe last week with pleas that the committee schedule a hearing for HB 43, which would set affirmative consent as a standard for […]
Tribal education reform bills stalled in New Mexico Legislature
When the Senate Education Committee was over on Friday, March 3, Kaylee Bahe had already been awake for eight hours organizing her thoughts and materials before taking the Rail Runner by herself from Albuquerque to meet with lawmakers. Bahe (Diné), a sophomore at Eldorado High School, was there to speak up about racism she saw […]
NM governor found a way to give pre-k teachers and staff $3 raises. Not everyone qualifies
These days it costs $16 for a packet of chicken big enough to feed Alma Ortiz’s family. It’s a big jump from what she’s used to, and she has a hard time being able to afford it. Ortiz is a single mom and early childhood teacher for Youth Development Inc., a Head Start program in […]
Affirmative consent legislation one step away from Senate vote
The affirmative consent bill that would make “yes means yes” the baseline for teaching consent in schools received unanimous approval from the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. It now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee for review. This is the third time Rep. Liz Thomson (D-Albuquerque) brought the bill to the Roundhouse, and each time […]
Advocates of teaching ‘yes means yes’ in NM public schools gain traction in the Roundhouse
For advocates of affirmative consent, it’s about shifting our approach to sexual assault from one that is punitive and reactive to one that is preventive. “The knee-jerk reaction to go to punishment is because that’s how it’s been presented to us in the past, instead of stopping it before it happens,” said Jess Clark, director […]
New Mexico workers, immigrants and their families show political strength in Santa Fe
When the pandemic hit, Antonio Bañuelos started to realize immigrant workers like him were being shut out of crucial unemployment benefits. People who lost jobs were left to survive without unemployment benefits and medical coverage that their employer might have provided. “When there’s not much work and they start laying off people, and there’s not […]
Supporters turn out to champion affirmative consent in Roundhouse hearing
Legislation making its way through the session would transform how sexual assault cases are handled by public schools and New Mexico colleges that take state money. And it would make what’s known as “affirmative consent” a part of sex ed in high school health classes. In a room full of educators, students, survivors of sexual […]
New Mexico prepares for a drop in monthly SNAP benefits
More than half a million New Mexicans relying on food assistance will see a significant drop in their monthly benefits in March as the federal government suspends the pandemic expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The New Mexico Human Services Department said in a media briefing Thursday that families will see their benefits drop […]